AECEO
Library
Welcome to the AECEO Library. This is a collection of resources for ECEs, child care workers, students, researchers, and anyone interested in learning more about Ontario’s movement for decent work and pay for early learning and child care. In this limited and curated space, we host a selection of key documents related to the work of the AECEO to share with our community. This includes AECEO policy documents and annual reports, Care in ECE content, and more!
AECEO Submission to Ontario 2023 Budget Consultations
Registered Early Childhood Educators (RECEs) work in a diverse range of early years settings in Ontario, bringing their knowledge and unique skill set to their pedagogical, caring work with young children, their families and our communities. However, Ontario’s qualified and experienced workforce are leaving the sector, and graduates of ECE post-secondary programs are not entering the profession due to poor pay and lack of decent working conditions. The 2023 Provincial Budget provides an opportunity to build and support a child care and early years system that cares for children, families and the workforce.
Our recommendations:
- Invest an initial $300 million to develop and implement a province-wide Salary Scale for RECEs and child care staff/providers. A minimum wage of $25/hour for all child care workers and $30/hour for RECEs with decent work standards (e.g. benefits, paid planning time, paid sick days) is required to immediately protect and respect the early childhood workforce, and address recruitment and retention issues.
- Increase the general child care allocation by $240 million to $1.92 billion to keep pace with inflation, and meet increased costs that licensed child care is experiencing in daily operation.
- Adopt and implement the child care community’s Roadmap to Universal Child Care in Ontario, which sets out our vision and a shared path forward for Ontario child care.
- Fund 7 permanent paid sick days and additional 14 paid sick days during public health emergencies.
- Reverse cuts to the education budget and allocate funding to lower class sizes, increase wages, ensure paid preparation time and collaborative planning time for the Kindergarten Team, and ensure a healthy and safe work environment.
Letter to the College of ECE in regard to fees
Please see letter from the Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario, in partnership with the AECEO, sent to the College of Early Childhood Educators on February 23, 2023.
AECEO Submission to House of Commons Standing Committee on Bill C-35, An Act respecting early learning and child care in Canada
Written Submission to:
The House of Commons Standing Committee on Human Resources, Skills and Social Development and the Status of Persons with Disabilities regarding Bill C 35, An Act respecting early learning and child care in Canada.
From: Association of Early Childhood Educators Ontario, submitted March 17 2023
AECEO Statement on Child Protection and the role of ECEs in Ontario
The AECEO has shared a statement on Child Protection and the role of ECEs. The statement discusses a previous publication, A
Child In Need of Protection and relevant current information regarding BIPOC children in care. The statement also includes resources related to the idea of ‘cultural safety’, suggestions for further reading with books that embrace a critical lens in child protection work, and links to organizations working in this area in Ontario. Finally, the statement includes three points of refection, with questions to guide educators and allied professionals in their thinking.
AECEO Statement on Bill 33: Supporting Children and Students Act
AECEO Statement on Bill 33: Supporting Children and Students Act
The following statement has been written by the AECEO in collaboration with our CARE Collectives: the Community of Black Early Childhood Educators (CoBECEs), the Student Early Childhood Educators of Ontario (SECEO), and the ECE Faculty Connect.
This statement was written in response to Bill 33, Supporting Children and Students Act, 2025. This proposed legislation, if successfully enacted, would significantly change the Education Act, the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities Act, and the Legislation Act, among others. This legislation would apply to all of Ontario and impact the public education system, colleges, universities, and children’s aid societies, including pre-service ECEs and educators in the school board. Bill 33 is being presented as a mechanism to improve transparency, accountability, and protecting public interest.
Together with the Community of Black ECEs, the Student Early Childhood Educators of Ontario, and the ECE Faculty Connect (AECEO CARE Collectives), we have analyzed the impacts of Bill 33 on ECEs and child care workers, and children and families. The statement presents why we think Bill 33 is a matter of interest to our community, and suggests some actions you can take to share your perspective.
Listening & Storytelling Community Research – Executive Summary
In 2025, the Association of Early Childhood Educators Ontario (AECEO) surveyed 652 individuals working in Early Learning and Child Care (ELCC). We asked qualitative and quantitative questions to better understand the experiences of early years professionals currently working in the ELCC sector in Ontario. Please click here to read the executive summary of our Listening & Storytelling Community Research.
Letters to Ministers in advance of the Federal Provincial Territorial Forum on Early Learning and Child Care
Letters to Ministers in advance of the Federal Provincial Territorial Forum on Early Learning and Child Care
The Association of Early Childhood Educators is a signatory on a letter organized by Child Care Now that has been shared with all FPT Ministers. The letter calls on all levels of government to commit to working together and expanding and strengthening the $10aDay child care system at their upcoming meeting.
The AECEO has also sent its own letter to Ontario Minister of Education Paul Calandra, echoing Child Care Now’s urgent message and highlighting the important work that ECEs do and the attention to the workforce that is needed within the program through a pay-equity compliant wage grid. Ontario must commit to ongoing collaboration, bolster its own investment in early learning and child care, and sign a new 5-year CWELCC agreement with the federal government as soon as possible.
- Child Care Now’s Letter to the FPT Ministers Most Responsible for Child Care
- AECEO Letter to Ontario Education Minister Paul Calandra
Several allies and partners have also sent their own letters to representatives ahead of the Forum, including the OCBCC, Equal Pay Coalition, CUPE, Unifor, Ontario Nonprofit Network, Campaign 2000, and others. We urge all members and Early Childhood Educators to phone or email their MPs, MPPs, and Ministers Calandra and Hajdu to share your message that CWELCC must be strengthened and expanded, the workforce crisis must be addressed with increased investment from government, and a commitment to building a public and non-profit system is critical.
- Find your MPP’s contact information
- Find your MP’s contact information
- Send a message to Ontario Education Minister Paul Calandra: 416-325-2600 | minister.edu@ontario.ca
- Send a message to federal Jobs & Families Minister Patty Hajdu: 613-996-4792 | patty.hajdu@parl.gc.ca
2026 Ontario Pre-Budget Submission
2026 Ontario Pre-budget submission from the Ontario Coalition for Better Child Care and the Association of Early Childhood Educators Ontario.
The Ontario Coalition for Better Child Care (OCBCC) is Ontario’s central advocacy body for a universal, affordable early learning and child care system. We represent over 400 early learning and child care programs, child care associations, social justice and labour organizations, as well as concerned individuals.
The Association of Early Childhood Educators Ontario (AECEO) is the professional association for registered early childhood educators (RECEs) in Ontario. We advocate for respect, recognition and appropriate wages and working conditions for all RECEs and a high quality, publicly funded early childhood education and child care system.
Jenny Vlashi
Jenny Vlashi completed a placement with the AECEO in the Fall of 2025 as part of the Early Childhood Studies program at Toronto Metropolitan University. As part of her placement, Jenny presented about the AECEO and ECE advocacy to her classmates at TMU. Jenny kept a detailed journal to document her placement experience, available below.
Category:
Student Blog
Author:
Jenny Vlashi
Publication Year:
2025
